Striking clock



A. W. HUMPAGE Feb. UL 1925.

STR'IKING CLOCK Filed April 23. 1924 ENTOR 5 I44 Hum /405.

1 ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 10, 1925.

.UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT W. HUMPAGE, OF WINSTED, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO IVILLIAM L. GIL- BERT CLOCK COMPANY, OF WINSTED, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- NECTICUT.

STRIKING CLOCK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT IV. I'IUMPAGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Winsted, county of Litchfield, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Striking Clocks, of which the following is a full, clear, and ex act description.

My invention relates to striking clocks and has for its object to produce a new and improved means for setting the striking mechanism in operation manually whenever desired.

In striking clocks it often happens that during vacation periods the spring for operating the striking mechanism runs down before the spring for operating the time mechanism ha run down, with the result that when the two springs are rewound the clock will not strike according to the time indication of the hands. For this reason various manually actuated means have been provided for causing the striking mechanism to operate sufliciently to bring it into proper relation with the time mechanism. lVith certain styles of clocks such means can without difficulty be installed s0 as to be readily accessible, but in the ordinary wooden case mantle clock having no front opening through which the works are exposed it has been necessary to lift the clock or turn it around in order to perform the manual act necessary to put the strike mechanism in operation. The object of my invention is to provide for such clocks manually operated means for putting the striking mechanism into operation, which means is readily accessible without moving or disturbing the clock.

The following is a description of an embodiment of my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a face view of a portion of a clock embodying my invention in its preferred form; and

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the clock mechanism, together with parts of the casing, with its dial and hinged door, the latter being partially broken away.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 2 is a clock case provided with a dial 4 which is covered by a hinged sash 6 carrying a glass 8. The time and strike mechanism per se are of ordinary construction and comprise a cam 10 mounted on the arbor of the minute hand for actuating a level 12 connected to an arbor 14 carrying a lift wire 16 which is adapted to engage a strike pallet 18 connected to an arbor 20which carries a warning rack 22 adapted to engage or disengage a warning pin 24 carried by a wheel 26 geared to the fly 28. The lift wire 16 when it engages the strike pallet 18 lifts the lower end of the strike pallet out of one of the notches 30 on the count wheel 32 and at the same time withdraws the warning rack 22 from the warning pin 24, whereupon the wheel 26 carrying the warning pin 24 revolves until-the warning pin strikes the projection 34 upon the lever 12, which has then been moved toward the left of the cam 10 and is thereby brought to rest. The parts are then in such position that when the minute hand has reached the hour position, the cam 10 will release the lever 12, which will release the warning pin 24, permitting the strike mechanism to operate until the strike pallet enters the next notch 30, whereupon the warning rack 22 will come into the path of the warning pin 24 and stop the strike mechanism in initial position.

, The clock is provided with the ordinary lift wheel 36 and arm 88 coacting therewith and carried by arbor 20 which for simplicity is not shown in Fig. 1.

All these parts are of ordinary construction and are combined and operate in the well known manner above described.

In order to attain my object as above stated of providing a novel and easily accessible means for starting the strike mechanism, I provide a lever 40 which is pivoted to the frame at 42 and has one end 44 bent so as to lie beneath the lift wire 16 and has the other end 46 bent at a right angle and protruding through a slot 48 in the upper portion of the periphery of the dial 4 so as to be easily accessible and permit the lever to be manually operated through said slot when the door is open. The slot is covered when the door is closed so as to be partially concealed and preclude the possibility of dust and the like entering the clock case through the slot. When it is desired to start the strike mechanism all that is necessary is to open the door of the clock and depress the end 46 of the lever. lVhen this end is depressed the other end of the lever raises the lift wire '16, which in turn raises the strike pallet 18 and warning rack 22, where- 'upon the striking mechanism begins to operate and upon release of the lever 40 continues to operate until the lower end of the strike pallet enters the next succeeding recess in the count wheel. This operation can be repeated as many times as desired until the strike mechanism is in proper relation to the time mechanism. The strike mechanism by my means can thus be brought into proper relation to the time mechanism in a clock of the class described without moving or disturbing the clock as a whole upon the mere'openinig of the door covering the dial. The opening through which the end 46 protrudes is adjacent to the periphery of the dial and I preferably make it in the form of a slot in the dial itself as shown.

As will be evident "tofthose skilled in the art, my invention permits of'variou's modifications w-ithout departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

VV h at I claim is:

1. in a clock ha v'inga striking mechanism andja dial, the improvement which consists in means manually operable "through a, slot able member nrechanism consistin of a lever pivot-ed to in the dial for throwing the striking mechanism into operation.

2. In a clock having a striking mechanism and a dial, the improvement which consists in means comprising a manually operable member extending through an opening adjacent to the periphery of the dial for throwing the striking mechanism into operation, and a door covering said dial and opening.

3. In a clock having a case provided With a dial and a clock movement having a'striking mechanism, the improvement which consistsin means comprising a member manually operable through a slot in the upper portion of the lock case for throwing said striking mecha-n-is'm into operation.

at. In aclockl-ia ving a clock-case provided with a dial, a striking mechanism and automatic means fo'r throwing said striking mechanism into operation; a manually operco-operating with said striking the clock frame having an end. operable through an o ening in the "clock case and accessible from the front of the clock for starting said strikingmechanism when desired. a, H

ALBERT W. HUMPAGE. 7 

